Americans love sound bites, which distill life's complexities into pre-digested bits of information. Sound bites fit our frenzied life styles. We don't have to slow down to read or listen or consider or think as we work up the corporate ladder, hustle through two jobs, or juggle career with our children's schedules. ...

The frenzy of American culture is so pervasive even Christians get caught in the futile madness. Pastors have difficulty finding volunteers to staff vital ministries. Christians say the church makes too many demands on their time. ... It's as if the world is sucking believers out of the pews and into the maelstrom of materialism.